


Deadly Beautiful Killing Machines

by PinkEasterEggs



Series: IronDad Prompts To Warm And Break Your Heart [9]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt, Hurt Peter Parker, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Poisoning, Sad Ending, Self-Sacrifice, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, sorry - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-09
Updated: 2019-06-09
Packaged: 2020-04-23 18:02:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19156123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PinkEasterEggs/pseuds/PinkEasterEggs
Summary: “Mr Stark,” Peter called a little while later as they continued to trudge through the dying forest. Darkness had truly set now, the mist blocking any light from the stars. The wind was ice cold, moving through the decaying land like a ghost. Black leaves danced around them before they fell to the ground.“What is it Underoos?”“My senses are tingling— i think something bad is going to happen.”Before Tony could even question the kid properly, a blast of energy shot out and hit him in the chest.Tony and Peter go on a life threatening mission where a mad scientist has created a poisonous mist that kills anyone who breaths it in.#9: Bruises





	Deadly Beautiful Killing Machines

**Author's Note:**

> I was kinda taking in Apocalypse feels as i wrote this i'm not really sure why whoops :((
> 
> Kinda Graphic Violence and Gore is detailed so beware
> 
> Enjoy :))

Peter wanted to be sick as he watched one of the SHIELD agents collapse onto the floor, his hands going straight to his throat. The man clawed at the flesh, his mouth opening and closing like he was trying to gasp for air but couldn’t seem to manage it. Peter stepped forward to help, his innate goodness yelling at him to do something— anything.

Tony’s hand latched itself onto Peter’s arm, the Iron Man gauntlet stopping the webbed vigilante from moving forwards. Peter stared at his mentor, the eyes of his mask widening as he tried to silently convey that Tony let him the fuck go because someone was suffering and Peter needed to help them.

“There’s nothing you can do,” Tony’s voice was a low growl. His grip on Peter’s arm tightened as the SHIELD agent ripped off his heavy helmet and mask, revealing his face. He looked middle-aged with a few wrinkles around his eyes. His hair was blonde and Peter wanted to cry as black and bluish bruises began to dominate the dying man’s face. The once pale complexion became overrun with a bubbling of bruises that just took over his face. 

The agent let out a howl, the bruises spreading to his hands as his fingers slowly began to give up on clawing at his throat. His mouth opened again but instead of gasping for air, a gurgling sound escaped his lips. Tony pulled Peter back harshly, his free hand going over Peter’s eyes so the kid didn’t see the black gunk that dribbled out of the agents’ mouth.

Liquid with the same consistency as blood came spurting out of his mouth, spraying the ground around him as he gagged on it. The black colour of it looked gruesome and Tony kept his hand in front of Peter’s eyes as black liquid began to trickle out of the man’s nose and ears.

After what seemed like hours, the man finally kneeled over. His body hit the floor with a loud thud, the noise making Peter give out a little whimper.

“We should have helped him,” Peter’s voice sounded weak and he was suddenly glad that the Spider-Man mask over his face helped to hide the terror his expression showed.

“There was nothing we could’ve done,” Tony clipped, not knowing what he was meant to do. “We just need to carry on.”

“How did the gas get through his respirator in his mask?”

“I don’t know kid,” Tony sighed, looking behind him to where the last SHIELD agent was adverting their eyes from their teammates corpse. They’d started this mission with three agents. “I hope this doesn’t become an occurrence, though.”

Peter gulped, turning away from the dead agent’s bruised face and the black gunk littering the floor around him. “We should— we should carry on.”

Tony wanted to reach out and comfort Peter but that was something Tony Stark would do to Peter Parker not something Iron Man would do to Spider-Man. He couldn’t wait till this mission was over so he could give the kid the hug he deserved.

“I say we go this way,” the remaining SHIELD agent spoke up, pointing left. Everywhere around them was pitch black, a foggy mist floating in the air. Poison was held in the fog’s fumes, all the plants withering away as Tony led his team through the forest.

When SHIELD had first heard about a poisonous airborne mist that some crazed group of scientists had let lose in the Amazon Rainforest, they hadn’t accounted for how deadly the poison actually was. All life where the mist had been released was gone. Only carcasses were left, the animals skin all covered in bruises before their flesh melted away. Black goo surrounded the forest floor, each footstep the agents made being accompanied with a squelch. 

“Remember our mission is to find these assholes,” Tony called out as they waded through the dark. He tried to ignore the shrivelled up trees, all their leaves black and rotten looking.  
“Everything’s dead,” Peter whispered, sounding distraught as he looked over the devastation. “Even the trees have died.”

“I don’t know what was in that toxin but it seems the mist is destroying everything,” Tony agreed, using his night vision to see ahead.

They were continuing on in silence when a gurgling noise sounded behind them. Tony whipped around too late to see as a large jaguar came racing towards them, teeth bared and set on the SHIELD agent. The jaguar’s skin was covered in bruises, its once orange fur now barely visible as purple and blue decorated its entire length. Its eyes looked haunted, the skin around them sagged and hollow like it was being decayed away. Its teeth were yellow and black liquid was dripping out from its angry mouth.

Tony fired up his repulser and aimed it at the wild animal but he was too late. The hungry animal pounced on the agent, its teeth going straight into her neck. The jaguar let out another gurgled noise, black liquid running from its ears as its claws ripped through the fabric of the woman’s suit. 

Peter let out a cry, shooting webs at the animal as Tony finally shot out a blast. The jaguar was blasted into a decayed tree, the entire thing toppling over in its destroyed state. 

“H-help,” the agent gagged, blood rushing out of her neck wound and her mask half ripped off to expose her bloody face. Tony grabbed onto Peter’s arm once again, refusing to let the boy get any closer. Peter tried to tug out of his mentor’s hold but Tony just brought him in closer, his arms wrapping around Peter’s torso.

“There isn’t anything we can do,” Tony whispered into Peter’s ear, trying to ignore how the boy trembled and shook. Peter stopped trying to break free, instead turning around so his face was buried in the metal of the Iron Man suit. 

“H-help,” the woman cried out again before she started gagging as the mist filled her lungs. Tony couldn’t even bring himself to look away, his eyes frozen on the dying woman as the bruises began to form on her skin. It was like an invisible hand was punching every exposed inch of the woman’s skin, the blotted blue and purple forming over her olive skin. 

“Ahh!” The agent gagged once before black liquid spewed from her lips like vomit. It dribbled down her chin, mixing in with the blood that was slowly drying there. Tony watched with horror as the neck wound became infected due to the mist, the exposed flesh and bone looking charred and mutated.

“I’m sorry,” Tony mumbled, finally bringing his eyes down and letting his forehead rest on Peter’s masked head. He closed his eyes as the sound of the woman suffering floated into his ears, bouncing around in his mind like an echo. Her screams were becoming less frequent now and Tony risked glancing up.

Her skin was covered in bruises now, her hands wrapped around her neck as she spat out black gunk with a pitiful sob. Tony freed one hand from around Peter, firing up his gauntlet before shooting her square in the head with enough force to kill her. She fell backwards, the hole in her head gushing out black blood as she collapsed on the floor.

“You k-killed her,” Peter mumbled, still pressed into Tony’s side.

“She was dying anyway,” Tony’s voice was hoarse. “This stopped her from suffering.”

Peter nodded once, stepping back. He winced when his feet made the squelch noise that had accompanied them the entire time they’d been on their mission. “I w-want you to stop my suffering if t-that happens to m-me,” Peter’s voice hitched and Tony tried to ignore how his heart seemed to miss a beat at his words.

“That isn’t going to happen to you.” His voice is harsh. He can’t even entertain the idea. “It won’t— okay.”

“Okay,” Peter didn’t sound like he believed his mentor but he agreed anyway. It seemed the longer they spent in this hellhole that used to be the Amazon Rainforest, the more Peter believed he wouldn’t be making it home.

“Mr Stark,” Peter called a little while later as they continued to trudge through the dying forest. Darkness had truly set now, the mist blocking any light from the stars so all they could see was a blanket of black. The wind was ice cold, moving through the decaying land like a ghost. Black leaves danced around them before they fell to the ground, getting enveloped by the gunk that covered the once lush earth.

“What is it Underoos?”

“My senses are tingling— i think something bad is going to happen.” His voice is timid and tired, the fatigue and emotional exhaustion finally breaking through.

“Wha—“

Before Tony could even question the kid properly, a blast of energy shot out and hit him in the chest. The tree he tumbled into cracked, the wood where he was thrown into was rotted in the centre. It broke off in chunks like a porcelain doll, tumbling down and narrowly avoiding Tony as he shot out of the way.

“Do you like my beautiful creation, Stark?” A voice called out from the darkness. “I don’t have a name for my toxin yet but pretty soon the entire world is going to fear it.”

Tony watched as a bald headed man in a white quarantine suit stepped forward out of the darkness and into his night vision. The crazed scientist had bloodshot eyes and a crooked smile, his left arm raised with a gun pointed at Peter. 

“I wouldn’t exactly call this beautiful,” Tony growled as he slowly stood back up. He dare not make any sudden movements when Peter was being threatened.

“Really? But look around you at how wonderfully it is working.” The crazy man looks pleased as he takes in the decaying trees and the dead bodies of animals littered all over the floor.

“You and I aren’t so different, Stark,” the man suddenly brings his attention back to a seething Tony.  
“You and I have nothing alike,” Tony glared, his gauntlet preparing to blast the man’s skull open.

“But how could we not? We are both geniuses, for one. And we both make the most deadly beautiful killing machines. You with your guns and weapons and bombs . . . and me with my poisons. Together we would be unstoppable.”

“Mr Stark shut down his weapon designs!” Peter yelled with anger, still frozen to the spot where the gun was trained on his chest.

“Such wasted potential,” the man shook his head like he was emotionally distraught.

“How about you put the gun down?” Tony called out, raising his fired-up gauntlet and pointing at the scientist. “This is between you and me, lets not hurt the kid.”

“Hurt him? Oh no! This gun wouldn’t kill him, silly,” the man let out a loud cackle. “No this beauty i’m holding has no bullets in it. Just one massive energy blast. I showed you that just now when you fell into the tree. Its harmless really— but if i turn the energy up,” he did as he said, putting the gun on full blast. “It now has the power to completely electrify all your technology.”

Tony’s heart pounds as he realises what the man is going to do. The blast wouldn’t kill Peter but it would wreck his suit, short circuiting all his tech like the web shooters . . . and stopping his mask’s respirator from working.

“No!” Tony yelled just as the man fired up the gun, shooting Peter square in the chest. The kid let out a cry, getting blasted several metres back into a tree as it cracked just like Tony’s had.

“You’ll regret that asshole,” Tony spat as he shot the man in the head with a repulser blast. He tried to not look at how the scientist died with a wonky smile on his face. 

“Mr S-Stark?” Peter’s whimper from where he was crumpled on the ground, his suit sending out shocks and sparks every now and then, brought Tony’s attention back to him.

“Kid? Kid, how do you feel?” Tony raced forward, kneeling down in his suit to look over Peter’s small frame. One of his hands cradled under the boy’s head whilst the other hovered over his sparking suit.

“Everything hurts,” Peter cried out, his voice weak and muffled. The eyes on his suit were malfunctioning and Tony’s stomach dropped for he knew it meant the mask was either already compromised or soon to be. “Karen says the system in my mask to purify the air is on 3%.”

“You’re going to be okay Pete, i promise.” Tony whispered, leaning in closer as Peter groaned, letting out a shaky breath.

“2%,” Peter whispered. “Mr Stark i want you to know how much i appreciate you—“

“Don’t,” Tony’s voice broke as he stared down at the boy in his arms. “Don’t talk like you’re going to . . .”

“Mr Stark,” Peter’s shaky hand reached out and wrapped itself around the hand Tony had hovering over his body. “I am and that’s okay.”

“No it’s not,” Tony’s breath hitched.

“1%,” the words were barely more than a whisper and in that second, Tony knew what he had to do. He couldn’t let Peter die. He couldn’t let him breathe this horrible toxin. He couldn’t let him suffer.

“FRIDAY,” Tony spoke softly; even though he knew the consequences, he couldn’t bring himself to fear it. As long as Peter was okay. “Activate Protect The Spiderling At All Costs Protocol.”

“Boss, you understand that means—“

“Yes and do it,” he cut over her, holding his breath for one second as the suit around him detached, weaving itself over Peter in the blink of an eye. The Iron Man helmet secured itself around Peter’s, the kid letting out a shaky cry as Tony fell on the ground beside him.

“Mr Stark!” Peter cried out, watching as Tony inhaled the mist. The elder man gritted his teeth, the pain searing through him as purple and blue blobs began to appear on his skin. Peter pushed himself up so he was resuming the spot Tony had a minute ago, leaning over his mentor with one hand under his head whilst the other gripped the man’s free hand. “Why? Why did you do that? You shouldn’t have done that! Mr Stark!”

“It’s okay,” Tony grounded the words out, his teeth pressed so tightly together that he was sure his jaw was going to break soon. “J-just want you s-safe.”

“Mr Stark please,” tears ran down Peter’s cheeks, the Iron Man helmet masking them all. “You shouldn’t have done that.”

Tony freed his hand from Peter’s grip, his weak limb lifting up to press against the side of the helmet with soft affection. Peter tried to pretend that the mask wasn’t there and that Mr Stark’s hand was loving rubbing his cheek. He tried to pretend that his mentors fingers were running through his hair like they usually did when Peter was distraught. He tried to tell himself that Mr Stark was going to be fine.

“‘M so proud of you, k-kiddo,” Mr Stark gagged and black liquid splurged from his mouth. It dribbled down his cheeks as he choked on more.

“I’m so sorry,” Peter sobbed. “It should be me.”

Despite his weak state, the bruises decorating his entire face now, Tony shook his head. “N-no; never. M-my legacy,” his finger shook as they pointed at Peter’s heart, the boy sobbing even harder now. “‘M so proud. You’re a g-good kid.”

“Mr Stark, please don’t leave me,” Peter cried even harder as the black gunk ran down from Tony’s nose. 

“C-call Rho-Rhodey, get out o’ here,” Tony gagged once more, his usually bright eyes now dark and scary. A shaky hand wrapped itself around Peter’s wrist, bringing the gauntlet clad hand to his forehead with a pointed look.

“NO! No, please— i can’t do that,” Peter’s body shook with his sobs as he tried not to collapse onto Tony’s dying frame. “Don’t make me do that, please.”

“‘M want it,” Tony spat out black, his tongue a disgusting dark colour as he gurgled on the building liquid in his throat. “Ple-please.”

Peter tried not to think about how this moment was going to circle his mind for the next few years or about how many of his nightmares were going to highlight this exact moment. 

All he thought about was how Mr Stark had said he wanted it and Peter couldn’t deny him that. His sobs were physically painful now, his chest beginning to ache as he continued to cry. Peter’s hand pressed firmly against Tony’s temple, his breath pausing for a second as the Iron Man gauntlet powered up. Tony closed his eyes and waited.

“‘M love you, kiddo.”

The words slipped out of Tony’s mouth just as the gauntlet went off, firing straight through his head. Peter screamed the second he did it, trying not to look at his mentor’s brains laid out on the floor by his head. He tried not to look at how gruesome Tony looked now, the bruises splotching his face and his skull half open for the world to see.

Peter bowed his head, pressing his forehead against Tony’s chest and sobbed until water began to pool inside the Iron Man helmet. He screamed until his voice was hoarse. By the time Peter managed to sit back up, his neck aching and cracking from the uncomfortable position, the sun was just beginning to peak through the mist.

Tony looked even more horrible in the light.

For one terrifying moment, Peter debated taking the helmet off himself and dying there in Tony’s arms. He wanted to do it so bad. 

“Don’t waste Boss’ sacrifice,” FRIDAY whispered into his ear just as Peter lifted his shaky fingers up to where the helmet sat on his head. “He wanted you to live on.”

Her words burned him and Peter realised that she was right. Tony had died for him; he’d given up his life for Peter to survive. It broke his heart and Peter was sure not a day would pass that he didn’t wish it had been him but that didn’t change the facts. Tony wanted him to get out of here. Tony wanted him to do him proud. Tony wanted him to live.

So Peter did.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you liked it :)))))
> 
> (Is it too soon to kill off Tony in non-Endgame related fanfics after the emotional rollercoaster of Endgame????)


End file.
